Ta Dan Ta Dan

踏蛋踏蛋 ta dan ta dan
Tai-Yi Lin & Erica Sheu

踏蛋踏蛋 ta dan ta dan (2019) is a collaborative time-based installation by jewelry artist Tai-yi Lin and experimental filmmaker Erica Sheu, and a recipient of Queens Council on the Arts New Work Grant.

'ta dan ta dan' is the Mandarin pronunciation of '踏蛋踏蛋', which can be roughly translated as ‘walking on the egg’. The repetition of the syllables (ta dan) creates the sound and rhythm of a non-stop motion. This work is an extended project of Lin’s poem, Skating On the Poached Egg, in which Lin portraits the unbalancing feeling of trying to fit in a foreign metropolitan city.

This installation incorporates an egg-shaped automata jewelry box, home movies projecting with both analog and digital projectors, and reflection which mirrors the process of producing the projections in a hexagonal sculpture. It establishes a space in which to meditate on the transformative process of daily life as an alien in a foreign city.

Running time of the installation is approximately 15 min. The installation will be activated upon request. 

Tai-Yi Lin was born and raised in Taiwan. The Queens-based artist studied English at the National Dong Hwa University and earned a bachelor’s degree in Arts. On her arrival in the United States in 2016, Lin proceeded to the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) for her advanced training. The inspiration fuels Lin's passion for poetic visualization she draws from the natural organic landscape and texture of the world. She is interested in coming up with sculptural pieces that are useful in narrative, fun, and whimsical aesthetics by leveraging her rich literature background with an obsession for fossils, minerals, and rocks. She is optimistic about bringing more people to learn and experience abstract and creative visuals.
https://www.taiyilindesign.com

Erica Sheu is an experimental filmmaker who was raised in Taiwan. Her work often explores diaristic filmmaking as a practice of reconciliation with one's self. Sheu holds a BA in English from National Dong Hwa University in Taiwan. Sheu works with media arts organizations, such as Mono No Aware and Third World Newsreel, as a lecturer/assistant for filmmaking workshops. Her personal work has shown internationally at venues such as Microscope Gallery and The Film-Makers' Cooperative in New York, Crossroads 2019 at SFMoMA in San Francisco, Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong, and Taipei Contemporary Art Center and 2018 Taiwan Biennial at National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts in Taiwan. Sheu is currently based in Queens, New York.
http://www.ericasheu.com